New Delhi, Aug. 12 -- Picture these dishes. A yakhni reimagined with kantola or teasel gourd. A sticky toffee pudding glazed with mahua jaggery caramel. A risotto cooked with foraged wild greens.

It's not everyday that some of the country's top chefs spotlight ingredients deeply rooted in the culinary culture of India's forest communities. In the process, they are also making these wild foods fun and relevant for the urban diner. The effort is part of a larger initiative of the Wild Food Festival, to highlight the significance of India's wild produce, and understand their complex relationship with the ecosystem in order to protect them. The seventh edition of the one-day festival is scheduled to be held on 23 August in Mumbai.

Since its...